On this page: (Re)Naming | Narrative | Placemaking | Process
(Re)naming
For the workshop participants, the naming or renaming of spaces was the most challenging and concerning of the three wayfinding strategies.
Their concerns centred on two considerations:
1. The first is the likelihood that naming pathways, open spaces or buildings in Onkwehonwe’né:ha or Anishinaabemowin (or both) may be trivialized by non-Indigenous members of the campus community. This can occur through the mispronunciation of Indigenous place names and the tendency to replace names that have been selected with considerable care and deliberation with abbreviations. In the worst instances, Indigenous names can be substituted entirely with non-Indigenous names that are broadly more familiar and easier to pronounce. In either case, the replacement of Indigenous place names trivializes their significance and perpetuates the colonial inclination to erase Indigenous presence on the landscape.
2. The second issue is the prospect that the renaming of spaces may become a performative gesture. According to the workshop participants, (re)naming at its core accomplishes little more than attaching labels to campus spaces – “…naming is nothing more than just a sticker that you're applying to something…” (Workshop Participant). For the most part, the University can take this approach, assign Indigenous names to pathways and buildings, and assert that the purposes of Indigenous wayfinding have largely been fulfilled. However, participants repeatedly emphasized that naming is a meaningful process that requires careful consideration of the language(s) that will be used, the values that are reflected through chosen names, and the commitment that the University carries into the future to ensure that the wider campus community learns and appreciates the significance of the names that are associated with spaces. Education is a fundamental consideration for (re)naming. In collaboration with Indigenous community members, the University needs to consider ways in which the campus community will not only learn how to pronounce but also to understand the significance of Indigenous place names to ensure that they are actively used and embedded within the minds of the broader campus community.
…settlers don’t have it in them to figure out how to pronounce the words…just from laziness they will turn Indigenous names into an acronym.
One (re)naming suggestion that would address the absence of a meaningful cultural presence on the University of Waterloo campus, as well as the pronunciation challenges discussed by the participants, would be to consider naming campus spaces for noteworthy Haudenosaunee or Anishnaabeg people. For the most part, campus buildings are named for their respective faculties or to commemorate non-Indigenous University founders or administrators. An example offered during a workshop discussion would be to name a building for the Haudenosaunee writer Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) that would carry her name both in English and in Kanyen’kéha. This approach would broadly express the University’s value for Indigenous histories and cultures as well as convey to Haudenosaunee students, both current and prospective, that they belong.
Narrative
Narrative wayfinding strategies were generally viewed more favourably by the workshop participants. On its own, but perhaps in combination with (re)naming, the use of clear and evocative symbols on buildings, pathways and outdoor spaces would address the issue of place name mispronunciation as abstract symbols can be described and do not require verbalization in languages that most campus users cannot properly express. In addition to providing recognizable visual cues that would facilitate wayfinding for campus users, iconography and symbols that are rooted in Indigenous cultures – e.g. clan systems, wampum belt patterns, medicinal plants, etc. – could be catalysts for learning about Indigenous cultures. In effect, they could be learning resources that are used to teach the campus community about the meanings or stories that are associated with the iconography as well as the languages that are used to express those meanings – “…if we've got iconography, there could be modules that teach about the iconography...” (Workshop Participant).
The workshop participants discussed related opportunities for narrative wayfinding strategies, but a principal suggestion involved creating a distinct Indigenous logo for the University of Waterloo or redesigning the University’s current logo to integrate Indigenous symbols or patterns. In terms of the former suggestion, an Indigenous University of Waterloo logo that incorporates colours, patterns and symbolism from Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabeg cultures could be featured at campus entrances and other major landmarks. More specifically, a visually prominent Indigenous campus logo at the Visitor Centre in South Campus Hall along with a territorial acknowledgement could tell first time visitors the story about the land and the histories of the Neutral, Anishnaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. As some participants expressed, this would be “…a beautiful way to be introduced to the campus” (Workshop Participant).
As with (re)naming, narrative strategies can be tokenized and need to be considered with some care. Tokenization can occur in two related ways:
- When institutions choose ‘signifiers’ of Indigenous presence on a campus that have become pan-Indigenous (e.g. the medicine wheel) and are not rooted in/reflective of the cultures of the University’s host nations.
- The icons or symbols can be chosen because they are immediately recognizable by and therefore resonate with non-Indigenous people.
The use of clichéd symbols that are identifiable to the non-Indigenous community and are intended to create a broadly recognizable visual statement that the institution has committed to reconciliation ought to be avoided. Whether the symbols that are chosen to represent the Indigenous host nations of the University of Waterloo are immediately familiar and recognizable to the non-Indigenous community is of secondary concern - “I personally don’t care if the settlers don’t know who it is for … It feels like tokenization. It feels like they’re asking, ‘what’s our equivalent of a totem pole?’, and then we put it up by the entrance” (Workshop Participant). In fact, narrative symbolism ought to be subtle or unfamiliar to those who are outside a culture so that it can trigger learning opportunities and conversations about meaning. What is essential in terms of the appropriate use of symbols within the University’s spaces is that they are meaningful to Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabeg members of the campus community and contribute to the feeling of campus as home.
It doesn't have to be something that screams at you 'this is Indigenous.'
...It doesn't have to be that grabby thing that people are used to or that they're comfortable with.
Placemaking
Indigenous placemaking is about the connection to land and spaces. It is about giving both purpose and meaning to open spaces through things such as public art displays, gardens, gathering spaces and architecture to reflect the lived experiences of an Indigenous community, their knowledge and values. In effect, placemaking is about shaping spaces in ways that are more than small-scale gestures such as renaming or labelling
The workshop participants provided several placemaking suggestions to address wayfinding that included art installations, rest areas and naturalized spaces throughout the campus that are created by local Indigenous artists and designers. From a purely functional wayfinding perspective, distinctive spaces that embody the cultures of the host Indigenous nations become visible markers that serve as meeting or wayfinding points along travel paths. However, in terms of place identity, these settings serve as representations of Indigenous presence in the life of the University that are larger than labels or location markers. They become settings where the identities and values of Indigenous communities are made tangible in ways that can be plainly seen, touched, experienced and therefore possess an “inherent strength.”
...as more and more of these art installations and these murals are popping up on campus, I thought it would be an idea to have a self-guided Indigenous art tour that's part of the campus Visitor Centre.
...I think for University Relations there's actually such a big opportunity to take that and ... map it out on the campus.
As with (re)naming and narrative strategies, education is a key consideration for placemaking. Much of the discussion during the workshops centred on the value of Indigenous places and how they ought to be presented to and interpreted by the broader campus community. The following themes emerged from these discussions:
- Indigenous places on campus could be the focus of organized campus tours for visitors, as well as teaching opportunities for faculty, staff and students. The concern expressed by several participants is that any wayfinding intervention – i.e. (re)naming or placemaking – risks becoming a superficial, performative gesture if there isn’t an associated effort to inform campus users about where they are and the meanings that are associated with culturally significant spaces. From one participant’s perspective, “…what I would consider successful…is that every student left this campus knowing whose land this is, who shares this land and what the Haldimand Tract is” (Workshop Participant).
- The second theme addressed how Indigenous places are present throughout the campus and could be brought together to express a “cohesive” or holistic picture of Indigenous placemaking at the University of Waterloo. An early starting point for the Indigenous Wayfinding Initiative would be to inventory the places that currently exist and present them together on a campus map that directs visitors and daily users to the locations of Indigenous open spaces, art and buildings from which they could learn about the meaning and significance of each discrete location. More importantly, a campus tour and accompanying map could be used to tell a broader story that relates “…the seemingly disparate activities happening…” (Workshop Participant) and demonstrates how each place not only reflects a singular activity or initiative but relates more broadly to the University’s commitment to reconciliation. As one participant expressed, telling the story about the Indigenous community at the University of Waterloo is about outwardly demonstrating that “…there’s a lot of different nations here, and we work together effectively. How are we doing that” (Workshop Participant).
Process
Process considerations that address how the Indigenous Wayfinding Initiative is conceived and implemented over time garnered some discussion. For the workshop participants, it is important to consider what strategies are used to address wayfinding objectives, but considerable thought needs to be given to how Indigenous Peoples are engaged broadly and over the long-term with the Indigenous Wayfinding Initiative.
1. In part, broad or extensive engagement refers to the active participation of community members from the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit because the Indigenous members of the University are “…not here to speak for community” (Workshop Participant). It also refers to the engagement of Indigenous community members in all facets of the Wayfinding Initiative from the formative stages of defining goals and objectives, the potential recruitment of wayfinding consultants, through to the planning and implementation of any wayfinding solutions.
2. Long-term engagement refers to Indigenous wayfinding as a living process that includes Indigenous community members in the planning stages of the Wayfinding Initiative and, more importantly, in the choice of names, symbols or other elements that are used to define Indigenous spaces. However, the engagement of Indigenous community members needs to extend beyond the point when the Indigenous Wayfinding Initiative is determined to be complete. As has been suggested, if education is considered a necessary element of the Indigenous Wayfinding Initiative, then it would be reasonable to engage Six Nations and Mississaugas of the Credit community members not only to inform the development of educational materials but more actively as in-person teachers (potentially through campus tours) who convey the meanings of place names, symbols and spaces. In effect, Indigenous engagement extends past the completion date of any wayfinding planning and design process. It extends well into the future to ensure that whatever has been done to address Indigenous wayfinding – i.e. (re)naming, narrative symbolism and/or placemaking – is maintained and that their meanings are communicated in a good way.
This workshop is wonderful, but if you are handing this all over to someone else, I hope that they would take similar steps in including Indigenous Peoples throughout this whole process.